Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.01k reviews by:
ninetalevixen
(I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
3.5 stars.
This hooked me from the start, with the opening scene where Steven is being obnoxious and philosophical. College students having pretentious but passionate debates about their area of study? Sign me up. (And it's a recurring theme throughout the novel, which I found delightful!) There's geeking out and bullshitting your way out of the corner you've talked yourself into, and genuine contemplation on the nature of life and love and what have you.
The second great strength of this was the interpersonal relationships which made the aforementioned arguments enjoyable and made the plot in general work. I love the mix of banter and tender moments between Steven, Sophia, and Lucy — even the romantic entanglements worked for me, for the most part — a bond which not even Julian or John could derail. I also loved how matter-of-factly character's non-heterosexuality is presented, and that it generally subverts stereotypes and tropes. (There's potential issues with the fact that; though it's relevant to the plot, I do think it could have been pretty easily avoided.)
The writing itself was terrific. Enough details to picture the scene, but not so many that it bogged down the action; and each of the POV characters was distinct. The narrative didn't hinge on big reveals and instead was upfront about what was going on, which was refreshing since I've guessed all the twists I've come across lately and been underwhelmed by the subsequent lack of tension. I did cringe a little at the sexual parts (nothing overtly explicit, but flirting with the boundary of PG-13), but I'm not sure there would've been a non-cringey way to convey the scenes that Earl did.
What didn't work so well for me was the ending. It seemed a little abrupt, especially the fairly cliched ending wherein, and that was pretty disappointing considering all the great buildup.
All in all, this is a fascinating modern homage to Dracula, Frankenstein, and other scifi/paranormal classics, well-told with charismatic characters and an exciting plot.
3.5 stars.
This hooked me from the start, with the opening scene where Steven is being obnoxious and philosophical. College students having pretentious but passionate debates about their area of study? Sign me up. (And it's a recurring theme throughout the novel, which I found delightful!) There's geeking out and bullshitting your way out of the corner you've talked yourself into, and genuine contemplation on the nature of life and love and what have you.
The second great strength of this was the interpersonal relationships which made the aforementioned arguments enjoyable and made the plot in general work. I love the mix of banter and tender moments between Steven, Sophia, and Lucy — even the romantic entanglements worked for me, for the most part — a bond which not even Julian or John could derail. I also loved how matter-of-factly character's non-heterosexuality is presented, and that it generally subverts stereotypes and tropes. (There's potential issues with the fact that
Spoiler
the only multi-gender attracted character is the literal monsterThe writing itself was terrific. Enough details to picture the scene, but not so many that it bogged down the action; and each of the POV characters was distinct. The narrative didn't hinge on big reveals and instead was upfront about what was going on, which was refreshing since I've guessed all the twists I've come across lately and been underwhelmed by the subsequent lack of tension. I did cringe a little at the sexual parts (nothing overtly explicit, but flirting with the boundary of PG-13), but I'm not sure there would've been a non-cringey way to convey the scenes that Earl did.
What didn't work so well for me was the ending. It seemed a little abrupt, especially the fairly cliched ending wherein
Spoiler
Lucy ends up giving in to Julian, and Steven and John predictably fail to find her because they don't search in the freaking houseAll in all, this is a fascinating modern homage to Dracula, Frankenstein, and other scifi/paranormal classics, well-told with charismatic characters and an exciting plot.
(I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
The anecdotes in this book — because it is a collection of stories, rather than a continuous narrative — are entertaining, but the narrator is pretty passive in most of them, letting her husband or children take the lead, which diminished my sympathy for her. There's also quite a bit of overlap and repetition in some minor details from chapter to chapter (which are possibly collected from the blog she mentions, so perhaps the repeated context was in the original post and just left in), and there doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason behind the order of the stories, both of which I found just a little bit annoying.
Still, Stocker manages to paint a pretty vivid picture of the rural lifestyle and especially the transition from city living, keeping in mind both the pragmatic and romantic aspects of it all.
The anecdotes in this book — because it is a collection of stories, rather than a continuous narrative — are entertaining, but the narrator is pretty passive in most of them, letting her husband or children take the lead, which diminished my sympathy for her. There's also quite a bit of overlap and repetition in some minor details from chapter to chapter (which are possibly collected from the blog she mentions, so perhaps the repeated context was in the original post and just left in), and there doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason behind the order of the stories, both of which I found just a little bit annoying.
Still, Stocker manages to paint a pretty vivid picture of the rural lifestyle and especially the transition from city living, keeping in mind both the pragmatic and romantic aspects of it all.
I can’t remember the last time I thought a sequel really lived up to a solid first book, let alone surpassed it, but this one did.
Although quite a number of new primary characters are introduced — June and Marcella are awesome: kickass, female, and just as morally dubious as Victor and Eli — we still get to spend lots of time with the originals, with bonus Eli backstory and Sydney’s independent development/arc. So it’s very much still about Eli and Victor, but it’s also very much about Marcella and June and Sydney.
The various plotlines are intertwined just as the characters and their motives are: each affects the others, and all are important. It’s not at all hard to keep up with all the different schemes and quests and endgames floating around because the world and characters are so thoroughly developed that they just make sense, as if it couldn’t be any other way.
One aspect that really got me was the allusions to toxic relationships. Specifically,. It’s so tempting to write it off as extenuating circumstances and unique context, but fiction doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Honestly I’m not quite sure what I make of all this, but it added dimension and perspective on an important issue.
All in all, this is a nuanced novel with larger-than-life characters in a fascinating setting, and a very well-told story.
Although quite a number of new primary characters are introduced — June and Marcella are awesome: kickass, female, and just as morally dubious as Victor and Eli — we still get to spend lots of time with the originals, with bonus Eli backstory and Sydney’s independent development/arc. So it’s very much still about Eli and Victor, but it’s also very much about Marcella and June and Sydney.
The various plotlines are intertwined just as the characters and their motives are: each affects the others, and all are important. It’s not at all hard to keep up with all the different schemes and quests and endgames floating around because the world and characters are so thoroughly developed that they just make sense, as if it couldn’t be any other way.
One aspect that really got me was the allusions to toxic relationships. Specifically,
Spoiler
Sydney staying with Victor after he physically hurt her but didn’t mean to — we know he really couldn’t control his power then, but it’s still uncomfortable and all too familiar to hear; also, June drugging Sydney to “protect” herAll in all, this is a nuanced novel with larger-than-life characters in a fascinating setting, and a very well-told story.
I blame the professor who made me read Frankenstein, because you can never go back to not-recognizing all the references everywhere. (But I mean — Victor Vale and his origin story is kind of a dead giveaway.) Still, while I appreciated Frankenstein I didn’t like it much, and I adored Vicious. Antiheroes and sinnamon rolls populate the pages, wrapped up in an all-consuming man-vs-man pursuit.
Part of the reason I can’t give this 5 stars is that I read most of it in public — on the bus and in lecture halls — so I couldn’t afford to get invested enough to have visible emotional reactions. And yet it definitely drew quiet gasps and cringes from me, so it’s safe to say VE Schwab has done it again: forged unforgettable, charismatic, morally beyond-questionable characters and mixed them up in an intoxicating plot.
Part of the reason I can’t give this 5 stars is that I read most of it in public — on the bus and in lecture halls — so I couldn’t afford to get invested enough to have visible emotional reactions. And yet it definitely drew quiet gasps and cringes from me, so it’s safe to say VE Schwab has done it again: forged unforgettable, charismatic, morally beyond-questionable characters and mixed them up in an intoxicating plot.
I’m going through a bit of a reading slump due to academic stress, but this was an engaging read; the vivid, complex characters and exciting plot kept things interesting.
I kept waiting for the moment when I would be swept up in the characters and their quest to eradicate the monsters plaguing their city, and it never came. The first book was captivating but this one was pretty lukewarm from the start - tugged at a few heartstrings at key points, but otherwise fairly neutral throughout.
★ 3.5 stars ★
content warnings:
rep:
A fun follow-up to the Truly Devious saga, which feels consistent with the rest of the series — though obviously, this mystery is condensed into one volume instead of three, which makes this standalone a bit less engaging. The summer camp setting isn't as atmospheric as Ellingham Academy; the alternating historical/ contemporary timeline is somewhat less effective, and also a bit incongruous since part of this case's intrigue is that several of the major players are actually still around.
I was never super into, so I have to admit I was a bit annoyed when he turned up in person, and more so when they got into , which didn't feel resolved so much as shuffled off so that the book could end on a certain note. I also wish we'd seen more of Janelle, though I did really enjoy Stevie's friendship with Nate and their whole-group dynamic.
-----------
CONVERSION: 9.53 / 15 = 3.5 stars
Prose: 7 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 5 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
content warnings:
Spoiler
death of teenagers, discussion of hunting, marijuana use, underage drinking, infidelity, anxiety attack, discussion of slavery, mention of parent death, mention of cancer, hit-and-run, mention of homophobia, discussion of toxic masculinity, gun violence (non-graphic), broken armrep:
Spoiler
MC with anxiety [Stevie], queer Black cameo character [Janelle], Vietnamese nonbinary/genderqueer cameo character [Vi], established queer relationships, gay secondary/ minor charactersA fun follow-up to the Truly Devious saga, which feels consistent with the rest of the series — though obviously, this mystery is condensed into one volume instead of three, which makes this standalone a bit less engaging. The summer camp setting isn't as atmospheric as Ellingham Academy; the alternating historical/ contemporary timeline is somewhat less effective, and also a bit incongruous since part of this case's intrigue is that several of the major players are actually still around.
I was never super into
Spoiler
Stevie and David's relationshipSpoiler
all the England drama-----------
CONVERSION: 9.53 / 15 = 3.5 stars
Prose: 7 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 5 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
★ 2.5 stars ★
Sure, this was decently entertaining, but I just don't understand the hype.
The twists did surprise me, mostly in the neutral-to-positive range — I particularly liked the reveal that — though it did feel like some key information was purposefully omitted so that the reader didn't have much chance of piecing it together. Part of the issue may have been the audio format, but I had trouble keeping straight Madeline and Celeste and their respective husbands and kids (Jane was my relative favorite so she and Ziggy were easier to remember). Also, cheesy ending was cheesy.
Sure, this was decently entertaining, but I just don't understand the hype.
The twists did surprise me, mostly in the neutral-to-positive range — I particularly liked the reveal that
Spoiler
it was the other Tom who was gay, they just embarrassed themselves by assuming
The more I explored the darkness, the more I realized that the forest only looks impenetrable.
Conceptually and visually, this collection is darkly gorgeous: poems and photos that retell the stories we think we know so well. (Just saying, the in-class revelation that Little Red Riding Hood’s story is loaded with sexual innuendo was shocking yet made sense.) It’s feminist and feminine, a brutally honest reminder that while girls are human just like boys, we face additional perils — I particularly loved “If Tampons Were for Guys” because it was so ridiculous and so true.
Coming of age and learning to love yourself are difficult (and often simultaneous) journeys with many branches and detours, and Heppermann does a great job exploring quite a few of them. The poems span a wide spectrum, from the different settings of our stories (gym class, road trip, one’s bedroom) to the different faces of our would-be and actual victimizers (teachers, parents, princes charming, ourselves).
Conceptually and visually, this collection is darkly gorgeous: poems and photos that retell the stories we think we know so well. (Just saying, the in-class revelation that Little Red Riding Hood’s story is loaded with sexual innuendo was shocking yet made sense.) It’s feminist and feminine, a brutally honest reminder that while girls are human just like boys, we face additional perils — I particularly loved “If Tampons Were for Guys” because it was so ridiculous and so true.
Coming of age and learning to love yourself are difficult (and often simultaneous) journeys with many branches and detours, and Heppermann does a great job exploring quite a few of them. The poems span a wide spectrum, from the different settings of our stories (gym class, road trip, one’s bedroom) to the different faces of our would-be and actual victimizers (teachers, parents, princes charming, ourselves).
I probably would've enjoyed this more as a kid; the humor is very cartoonish (including more than one "No I'm not" / "Yes you are" exchange that goes on for a while), the plot straightforward, the prose conversational. There are jokes about anachronisms and explanations of archaic phrases and customs.
Most of the book seems to be Wart getting Merlyn to turn him into different animals, and Merlyn complying for the purposes of "eddication" — the titular sword doesn't appear until the end. But I've heard that White always intended the books to flow into each other, so I feel like the pacing does work.
(Read as part of [b:The Once and Future King|43545|The Once and Future King (The Once and Future King, #1-4)|T.H. White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1338741283l/43545._SY75_.jpg|1140206] collected edition, but shelved individually for review and reading challenge purposes.)
Most of the book seems to be Wart getting Merlyn to turn him into different animals, and Merlyn complying for the purposes of "eddication" — the titular sword doesn't appear until the end. But I've heard that White always intended the books to flow into each other, so I feel like the pacing does work.
(Read as part of [b:The Once and Future King|43545|The Once and Future King (The Once and Future King, #1-4)|T.H. White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1338741283l/43545._SY75_.jpg|1140206] collected edition, but shelved individually for review and reading challenge purposes.)